The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a control apparatus for angling guide vanes of a torque converter.
Torque converters are used for many applications such as starting turbo-machines of gas turbine engines or accelerating large synchronous motors to speed prior to connecting them to the electrical grid. In these applications, a large motor is coupled to one side of the torque converter with the other side being coupled to a drive shaft of the gas turbine engine or motor. The torque converter converts the torque provided by the starting motor into startup torque for the gas turbine engine or a large synchronous motor. Such startup operations may lead to component failures due to either electrical or mechanical overloading of the starting motor, torque converter, or couplings. Decreasing the acceleration of the turbine or synchronous motor may reduce the likelihood of component failure, however, such a course may also lead to decreased customer satisfaction due to increased startup times.